{"entity":{"id":"leuprolide","kind":"drug","name":"Leuprolide (leuprorelin) and GnRH agonists","aka":["Leuprorelin","Leuprolide acetate","GnRH agonist"],"tldr":"Leuprolide is the injectable that shuts off testosterone production, the foundation of hormone therapy for prostate cancer since the 1980s; it is also used for ovarian suppression in premenopausal breast cancer.","summary":"Approved 1985 as an alternative to orchiectomy or oestrogens; depot formulations (1-6 months) followed. Backbone of ADT combinations with abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, darolutamide and docetaxel. Testosterone flare (antiandrogen cover), cardiovascular and bone effects; oral relugolix (2020) and degarelix are antagonist alternatives without flare.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuprorelin","links":[{"label":"Label (DailyMed)","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=leuprolide"}],"tags":["gap-fill","generic"],"related":[],"cancers":["prostate","breast-hr-positive","salivary-duct-carcinoma"],"sections":[],"technologies":["androgen-deprivation","endocrine-therapy"],"targets":["androgen-receptor"],"drugs":[],"companies":["abbvie","takeda","foresee-pharmaceuticals","oakwood-laboratories"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["castration-resistance","ovarian-function-suppression"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"brand":"Lupron / Eligard / Camcevi","modality":"GnRH agonist depot","mechanism":"Continuous GnRH receptor stimulation desensitises the pituitary, suppressing LH/FSH and hence testosterone (or oestrogen) to castrate levels after an initial flare.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1985,"indication":"Palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer"},{"region":"US","year":1989,"indication":"Depot formulation (Lupron Depot)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/leuprolide/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"prostate-bcr","kind":"cancer","name":"Biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate-bcr/"},{"id":"breast-hr-positive","kind":"cancer","name":"HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer","route":"/cancers/breast-hr-positive/"},{"id":"prostate-high-risk","kind":"cancer","name":"Localised prostate cancer, high and very high risk","route":"/cancers/prostate-high-risk/"},{"id":"prostate-intermediate-risk","kind":"cancer","name":"Localised prostate cancer, intermediate risk","route":"/cancers/prostate-intermediate-risk/"},{"id":"prostate-mhspc","kind":"cancer","name":"Metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate-mhspc/"},{"id":"prostate","kind":"cancer","name":"Prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate/"},{"id":"salivary-duct-carcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Salivary duct carcinoma","route":"/cancers/salivary-duct-carcinoma/"}],"technology":[{"id":"androgen-deprivation","kind":"technology","name":"Androgen deprivation & AR pathway inhibitors","route":"/technologies/androgen-deprivation/"},{"id":"cancer-treatment-bone-loss","kind":"technology","name":"Bone loss caused by cancer treatment, and what rebuilds it","route":"/technologies/cancer-treatment-bone-loss/"},{"id":"endocrine-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Endocrine therapy (SERMs, AIs, SERDs)","route":"/technologies/endocrine-therapy/"},{"id":"ovarian-function-after-chemotherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Ovarian function after chemotherapy: who recovers, and when","route":"/technologies/ovarian-function-after-chemotherapy/"}],"target":[{"id":"androgen-receptor","kind":"target","name":"Androgen receptor","route":"/targets/androgen-receptor/"},{"id":"gnrhr","kind":"target","name":"GnRH receptor (GNRHR)","route":"/targets/gnrhr/"}],"company":[{"id":"abbvie","kind":"company","name":"AbbVie (incl. ImmunoGen, Capstan)","route":"/companies/abbvie/"},{"id":"foresee-pharmaceuticals","kind":"company","name":"Foresee Pharmaceuticals","route":"/companies/foresee-pharmaceuticals/"},{"id":"oakwood-laboratories","kind":"company","name":"Oakwood Laboratories","route":"/companies/oakwood-laboratories/"},{"id":"takeda","kind":"company","name":"Takeda","route":"/companies/takeda/"},{"id":"tolmar","kind":"company","name":"Tolmar","route":"/companies/tolmar/"}],"term":[{"id":"adt","kind":"term","name":"Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)","route":"/terms/adt/"},{"id":"castration-resistance","kind":"term","name":"Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)","route":"/terms/castration-resistance/"},{"id":"intermittent-androgen-deprivation","kind":"term","name":"Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD)","route":"/terms/intermittent-androgen-deprivation/"},{"id":"ovarian-function-suppression","kind":"term","name":"Ovarian function suppression (OFS)","route":"/terms/ovarian-function-suppression/"},{"id":"prostate-adt-burden","kind":"term","name":"What androgen deprivation costs: the side of hormone therapy the survival curves do not show","route":"/terms/prostate-adt-burden/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-hussain-swog-9346-intermittent-androgen-deprivation-nejm-2013","kind":"paper","name":"SWOG 9346: intermittent versus continuous androgen deprivation in metastatic prostate cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-hussain-swog-9346-intermittent-androgen-deprivation-nejm-2013/"}],"trial":[{"id":"nct07455903","kind":"trial","name":"Assessing Efficacy of Neoadjuvant ADT in Localized High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients Utilizing 18F-Flotufolastat PSMA PET/CT","route":"/trials/nct07455903/"},{"id":"nct00002881","kind":"trial","name":"Flutamide, Suramin, and Hydrocortisone in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer","route":"/trials/nct00002881/"},{"id":"hero","kind":"trial","name":"HERO","route":"/trials/hero/"},{"id":"nct00003653","kind":"trial","name":"Hormone Therapy in Treating Patients With Rising PSA Levels Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer","route":"/trials/nct00003653/"},{"id":"nct00002633","kind":"trial","name":"Hormone Therapy With or Without Surgery or Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Prostate Cancer","route":"/trials/nct00002633/"},{"id":"nct04906395","kind":"trial","name":"Ovarian Suppression Evaluating Subcutaneous Leuprolide Acetate in Breast Cancer","route":"/trials/nct04906395/"},{"id":"nct03678025","kind":"trial","name":"Standard Systemic Therapy With or Without Definitive Treatment in Treating Participants With Metastatic Prostate Cancer","route":"/trials/nct03678025/"},{"id":"nct04423211","kind":"trial","name":"Treating Prostate Cancer That Has Come Back After Surgery With Apalutamide and Targeted Radiation Based on PET Imaging","route":"/trials/nct04423211/"},{"id":"nct04513717","kind":"trial","name":"Two Studies for Patients With High Risk Prostate Cancer Testing Less Intense Treatment for Patients With a Low Gene Risk Score and Testing a More Intense Treatment for Patients With a High Gene Risk Score, The PREDICT-RT Trial","route":"/trials/nct04513717/"}],"drug":[{"id":"abarelix","kind":"drug","name":"Abarelix","route":"/drugs/abarelix/"},{"id":"buserelin","kind":"drug","name":"Buserelin","route":"/drugs/buserelin/"},{"id":"histrelin","kind":"drug","name":"Histrelin","route":"/drugs/histrelin/"},{"id":"triptorelin","kind":"drug","name":"Triptorelin","route":"/drugs/triptorelin/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"hormonal-therapy-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Hormonal therapy roadmap: removing the ovaries → tamoxifen → oral degraders switched by a blood test","route":"/roadmaps/hormonal-therapy-roadmap/"}]}}